Throw backs....movies you may have missed.

I waited sometime to see this movie. I was not sold on it when it came out. Sure it piqued my interest cause it was a Ron Howard movie, but for some reason it never grabbed me hard enough to go see it at the theater. See I got 3 ways to rate a movie. First- if it is a must see, you gotta get off the couch and head down to the local theater and watch it on the big screen. Second- if its pretty good, I will tuck that information away and wait until the dvd is released and go rent that jazz from Hollywood video. Uhhh if you must know, screw Blockbuster. And Netflix? well I aint into seeing that many movies, I got a life ya know? Third- if it aint worth any traveling effort, I wait till that shit trickles down to HBO or TNT or whoever wants to show that stuff on directv. I waited until Cinderella Man was in reruns on HBO until I caught it. I got to say, I would have enjoyed this movie no matter whn I saw it.

Some thoughts about the film. First the look and feel of the 1920's and 1930's is great. Howard did a great job in recreating that world. Right down to the ring ropes and the look of Madison Square Garden.

Sure sure Russell Crowe is the man. I dig his flicks cause he reminds me of throw back actors of the past. He is a big dude without be cut like Arnie or Sly. And he does great in movies with historical themes, see Master and Commander, Gladiator, and LA Confidential. But the two you have to watch in this movie are Renee Zellweger and Paul Giamatti. We all know how good Zellweger is. She has been on my radar for years. It wasn't Jerry Maguire that made me notice her, and this will sound funny to some, but it was 8 Seconds, Dazed and Confused, and Reality Bites. That movie with Tom Cruise that had her at hello just put her on the map. She will be one of if not the actress of our time. He role in this film was perfect. She was a bit undervalued, but you felt her role. As Mae Braddock, she makes you Feel her fears and emotions that came from living in the Great Depression. You struggled with her as a mother. Good stuff. Her acting puts you in another time. But enough of Renee, now is the time to sing the praises of one Paul Giamatti. At first I thought this cat was one of those guys destined to be a character actor for life, but since he was in Saving Private Ryan he started popping up all over the place. Then came Sideways. Freakin awesome film. Go rent that if you haven't already. A very underated file he carried was Lady in the Water. And before you discount that film, I will say never discount a Shayamalan film, please watch it first. Dude is good. He writes great films. But back to Giamatti's role in this movie. He was great as the corner man, manager of Jim Braddock in this film. He was quirky and charismatic. Hell he made me want to go place bets on feelings I may have about some horses I know. Now thats acting!

All in all this movie will move you. It's worth your time. I didn't think so at first, but after seeing it once, it changed my mind. Never doubt a Ron Howard film, okay I will give you Ransom as a throw out, but on a curve, this movie is over that bell curve.

Morning wit

It is with complete sadness that I must tell you, as if some of you didn't know, is the day we mark the passing of Miles Davis. He lived from 1926 to 1991. I grew up on country, Johnny Cash, and bluegrass. Hey, that wasn't a bad thing, but when I joined the Army and got to traveling around this planet of ours I discovered there was more to music than what I knew. By 1993, I had been exposed to Kind of Blue and that opened up the world of jazz to me. Up until that point jazz was something I associated with New Orleans. So once I got a taste of it, I spent a great deal of time playing Kind of Blue as my back ground music. When I was in college, this was the one cd that came with me all over. I have written many a paper listening to this. Simply put its great.
Later on I got into Birth of the Cool mostly cause I got a couple fo friends who are percussionist and one of those cats was always listening to this album. Actually it was kind of funny cause they played heavy metal as a band, but when they were at home tooling around on the drums, it was all kinds of jazz they played.

What else can you say about Miles? Dude was awarded something like 9 Grammy's, an honorary Phd, and he was knighted. In short he was all that and a bag of chips. So go pick up something by him, and it doesn't matter where in his career you listen, its all good. And talk about a career, dude played music or influenced music from the 1940's to the 1990's. He has a beautiful spectrum and range of music. So I will leave you with one of my favorite pieces by Miles and John Coltrane, So What.

Memorable Quotes from....

the great Chinese poet Tu Fu...

"After the separation of death one can eventually swallow back one's grief, but the separation of the living is an endless, unappeasable anxiety."

How true.

Weather spots to watch...Tropical Storm Karen:Update 9/27

TS Karen has run into some serious wind sheer. The wind sheer is around 30 to 40 knots and its ripping Karen to shreds. Word is that Karen intensified into a cat 1, but then the wind sheer cut it down to size. Pretty amazing stuff to watch develop. The wind is moving from left to right and you can see all the cloud that has been blown off the pattern.

Morning Wit

There really isn't much interesting going on in history today. Seriously. A report was issued, we got a revolutionary appointed minister to Spain, and Zsa Zsa Gabor threw a fit. We did get a couple of musicians today, Meat Loaf and Avril. You can take that anyway you need to. So to really get to anything interesting you have to go way back. SO far back, that what you are about to read can not conclusively be proved and depending on your faith, you may or may not believe it.

See I studied history in college because I wanted to study a bunch of meaningless crap so I could put together my own theories about the universe. Did this do much other than give me peace of mind? Not really. I ended up in a service industry working for a slave wage. But intellectually, I am pretty happy. Anyway one of the things I have always wanted to know is where in the hell we come from. See that fellow there? That is what the human form looked like around 100,000 years ago. Pretty much what we are today. In my eclectic college career, I dabbled in anthropology. I wanted to see what science had to say about my origins. Apparently humans evolved. This is something I can get on board with. But there are a bunch of holes in this whole evolution theory and I aint talkin about those bible thumpers holes either. See I lost my mind a few times because I had no choice and that gave me time to think. You know that boredom where you can really explore the space between your ears. So I got to thinkin about the 100,000 years between when that dude pictured above walked around doin stuff and what we are today. We tend to automatically think they were primitive and well for lack of better words, dumb. I don't think that was the case at all. I bet you they had a pretty good grasp on a few principles that humans need to understand to live. Well they had to cause we're here right? What were these ideas or concepts? Food and shelter. Survival. So it was this day in history, 99,754 BC, when the first proto-human picked up a rock with an edge on it and used it as a tool. He decided that edge cut his finger pretty darn good, why not use it to cut the meat of that dead gazelle like animal it found? And so it began. Invention and improvement on that invention. Memory and imagination. The spark lit the fire and that fire burned. I got a lot to say about how fast we learn, how caring came to be, and the past 100,000 years. All of it will come out, it may take years, but that ensures you'll keep reading right?

Jim Rapp and DLITE.

I can't pimp Jim Rapp enough. Here is a MSN article about Jim and his love of birds. Ever since Jimmy left the Salisbury Zoo, I felt his impact on promoting Delmarva was going to be significant. See thats the thing about Jimmy, his zeal for the area can draw national attention. He has that much love for Delmarva. His job as a zookeeper was good, but it never allowed him to stretch his wings and really get into the things he was interested in. Being tied to the zoo and all the responsibilities that came with it was weighing the dude down. See I know Jimmy from a outdoor, canoe, birdwatching fun kind of way. When I saw him at the zoo, it was in a "I'm at work" kind of way. Now it seems he found a place that work allows him to promote his love of the outdoors with a zeal he could not express at the zoo. So give the man some love and attend the 11th Annual Maryland Coast Day. At the very least visit the link below for more information about DLITE and visit the link to MSN above and read that article. It's worth the 240 seconds it will take you to read it.

http://www.delmarvalite.org/

Morning Wit

So it began back in the day and that day was in 1960. This was the first televised debate for presidential canidates ever. Exciting huh. There is a lesson here. See many people still listened to radio back in 1960. Thats where it gets interesting. See those who watched this on the tube thought Kennedy won, those who listened on the radio thought Nixon won. The power of image is a powerful thing, after all perception is reality.

But forget all that political mumbo jumbo, after all elections are a year away and most of us don't care right now, which is sad. But on to the bright spot of this day, Mr. T.S. Eliot is born in 1888. The poets poet. The man who is credited with changing poetry into its modern form. Which makes him larger than life in the world of poetry. And if you can't get down with poetry, what freakin good are you? Its bad enough most people are to damn lazy to read the newspaper, but poetry isn't even heavy reading folks. Yeah sure it makes you think, but is that a bad thing? We, as a country are freakin lazy. Hysterically so. Which brings me to the poem I want to leave you with by Mr. Eliot, aptly named Hysteria.

As she laughed I was aware of becoming involved in her laughter and being part of it, until her teeth
were only accidental stars with a talent for squad-drill. I was drawn in by short gasps, inhaled at
each momentary recovery, lost finally in the dark caverns of her throat, bruised by the ripple of
unseen muscles. An elderly waiter with trembling hands was hurriedly spreading a pink and white
checked cloth over the rusty green iron table, saying: “If the lady and gentleman wish to take their
tea in the garden, if the lady and gentleman wish to take their tea in the garden...” I decided that if
the shaking of her breasts could be stopped, some of the fragments of the afternoon might be
collected, and I concentrated my attention with careful subtlety to this end.

While it isn't as well known as The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock or The Waste Land, I like the side of Eliot is reveals. You know the lover, the playa. Yeah Yeah I hear it all the time he was a christian but dude married his secretary and she was his 3rd wife. PLAYA!

Weather spots to watch...Tropical Storm Karen

Not much else to look at. There is some action in the gulf, but it will mostly affect Mexico. But watchin is what we do. Lets see how Karen plays herself out. It helps understand hurricanes and tropical weather if you watch storms like these form and run their course.

Memorable Quotes from....

this time we get a beauty from Dante Alighieri...

"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis."

Cuts both ways no? Its the truth. How many times have you seen an injustice, no matter how slight and remained the casual observer? How did the guilt crawl on you? There are still those moments, clear memories in your mind of the chances past to right a wrong. Stop the madness.

Morning Wit

Yeah yeah I know there are more important things going on in history this day than what I'm gonna talk about, but I don't care. Yes it was a giant step forward for Sandra Day O'Conner to take her seat on the SCOTUS in 81, yes it was a great thing that Central High was integrated in 57, and in 1789 we got the bill of rights. All of these things are great events that have changed the course of our history. But that ain't what I am talking about today.I want to give mad props to my man Ethan Allen. Yes this goofy looking dude. Go on you can laugh. You don't look this goofy and not have a good laugh about it. Why? Well as history will point out, it was this day in 1775 that Allen was captured by the Brits after screwing up an attack on them up around Montreal. But that is not why my heart swells with pride when I hear that name, Ethan Allen. And its not the furniture store either. See Ethan Allen loved the state of Vermont more than just about anyone ever, sorry Howard Dean. He fought for that states independence until his death. In fact he was so hell bent on independence, he was willing to join the British empire again after the American Revolution just so he could tell New York, Conn., and Mass. to take a flying leap. See those states thought Vermont was their land. Now look at that picture again, can't you see that goofy bastard telling those grubby scallywags to keep their hands off Vermont's cheese? See that's why I love the guy. His duty and honor to his country was incredibly true. Of course his country was a dinky state called Vermont, but damn it, Vermont would be free. Hence the state motto FREEDOM and UNITY! Theres a little irony for you.

See Allen embodies what modern politicians should aspire to, duty and commitment to something bigger than yourself. He never strayed from that. That's what made him what he was. The best trait of Allen was that he was incredibly articulate, yes articulate in that package. But he was from the Vermont hills and really liked to use profanity to express himself. I always wondered what profanity was in the 1770's. I guess thats a researcher for another day. But how can you not like a guy who had a military outfit called the Green Mountain Boys? Yeah we will always hear about Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, but its the Sam Adams and Ethan Allens of the American Revolution that have the really interesting stories behind them.

Memorable Quotes from....

today I found one from Langston Hughes

"Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it."

Good one eh? It really got me to thinking about the haves and have mores in this country. Where the hell are the rich folks racing to anyway? I know its to the top, but the top of what?

Monday morning and history tales from the dark side...

Greetings all! Hope you had a splendid weekend. While I enjoyed mine, it sent by incredibly fast. There is not enough time in the day and now that the days are getting shorter much faster, that saying will ring even truer. By the way, HAPPY AUTUMN! I love the fall. The leaves are getting ready to do their thing and the nights are getting that chill to them. Good stuff. This is the time of year I get the hankerin for some s'mores. I was never a very big fan of the s'more until my honeymoon. It was one of those memorable foods we made camping. And they were great to eat! But my wife and I got the makings of em down to a science. So this fall I plan to make more s'more than we did last year. I got plenty of wood to burn in my little fireplace in the back yard and I even made some redneck utensils to help out with my s'mores cause. Plus the fall makes me think baseball playoffs, football, and the NHL. Sweet.

Alright for your dose of history, on this day back in 1789 we got The Supreme Court of the United States. SCOTUS has been the difference maker in our government. It can not be under estimated the importance of what the SCOTUS means to our society. There have been good terms and bad terms, but we will see the true effects of having Mr. Bush for president on how this current cast on the SCOTUS plays itself out. Very conservative, a lot of ideology. I fear for the rights of minorities and women.

The most kick ass section of history comes from our biggest export, pop culture. Today Jim Henson was born. I love the muppets. They are right there with some of the other giants of my childhood. I still know all the words to a many of a song from "The Muppet Movie" soundtrack. One night I was getting all sloshed at Market Street in Salisbury back in the mid 90's when it was a hippie dive on Friday nights, and the dudes I was hangin with were a few years younger than me. They were arguing about the lyrics to "Moving Right Along" and I just broke out in song with it. Everyone got a good laugh. Now I am a daddy of my own, I see how the muppets have inspired so much on tv, it really makes you think about the power of imagination. The ripple effects of a powerful imagination is something most people never think about. Mr. Henson we celebrate your day of birth and know this, you are missed.

The other big thing that happened today, it was the last episode of the I Love Lucy show back in 1961. See a lot of people think that it was a great comedy show and thats it. No one will ever be able to take that from them, it was a great comedy. Lucille Ball was a comedic genius. Her physical comedy still sets the standard. But what many people don't understand is how technically advanced the thinking of Desi Arnaz was. He was the first person to shoot tv from 3 angles using 3 different cameras at once. This gave us different close ups, better angles, cut ins, and basically ushered in the way we still shoot shots and scenes in film and tv. So the last episode was the end of an era, but the beginning of another.

Alright amigos, off to work with you. Check back in today, I still haven't got to visit any weather or other interesting news action yet. Need coffee.....fading fast at 10 am.....sugar! sugar! sugar!....

Friday History action and other stuff too!

Yeah Yeah, we all know Benedict Arnold committed treason on this day back in 1780, but who really knew which way the war would go at that point? Oh well, he came out of it with some eggs named after him so whats to complain about?

I like to think of happier times, like on this day back in 1985 Dire Straits topped the charts with "Money for Nothing", which is a catchy tune. Rockers got down with it, poppers got down with it, hell even red america got down with it. I think it was the beginning of the end. At that point, stadium rockers reached the zenith and started the downward spiral. Dire Straits would go one to be one of the biggest touring machines out there, bigger than Jacko or the Stones, but Knopfler said the hell with it and walked away. Good for him. I still respect him for that.

Here is an article that is the subject of the place I like to start with when discussing my theory that humans are way older than we think. This place is off the coast of Japan and looks to be at least 5000 years old. It seems to be an ancient harbor, with the stepped pyramid shape, it would work perfectly for that function. Of course there are some who think not, but when you add all these ancient sites up and the times they were in existance, we as a race are much older than we think. If we could prove there was intercontinental trade 5000 years ago, it would change history as we think of it. There is much we don't know. Its like we took 10 steps forward and got knocked back 5 and are only now understanding that. Maybe in my lifetime...

Watch the weather. Some tropical activity out there that could be something, especially around the gulf coast. So all my Texan friends, keep an eye on the weather. It is pretty scary how fast these storms are becoming hurricanes. You can always get updates here and more details in laymen terms here.

have a nice weekend, I am off today cause I am building an easel, I have an interest in painting I want to explore a little. Peace out.

Some history action for you....

It was on this day back in 73 that Billie Jean King whump up on Bobby Riggs. Which was a great thing. King did more for women in that one game than most other women did ever. And thats saying something cause there are tons of important women that done many a good thing for the most discriminated against class in history. Yes you read that right. But if you want to argue it, let it fly in the comments...ahhhh how sweet it is to remember that David Bowie had his first chart topper today, "Fame" from his Young Americans album. Bowie is the man. Still is. Love to listen to Bowie still to this day. I think he is one of those timeless musicians. My favorite collaboration is Bowie and Queen on "Under Pressure", especially that drum rip, that shit is hot...And speaking of hot, Sophia Loren was born on this day back in 1934. She's still got it. Watch some Grumpier Old Men. You will be a believer. Watch the outtakes at the end, Matthau had fun...and my final thought on this day back in 79, the first episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century aired. I loved that show. I watched it way more than Star Trek. Star Wars was still the king, but Buck was great. That was when a kid could get some good sci fi action. Cap America, Buck, The Hulk, Battle Star Galactica. Good stuff man. Of course now there is the scifi channel and that kicks ass. I still watch Eureka. Check it out when you can. I had to restrain myself from BSG the new stuff is to intense and I don't really have the time to get to involved right now. That shit will run in syndication for decades tho, so I got the time.

Impressionism Art.

Our spotlight is on Camille Pissarro today. This is one of those paintings that I could stare at for days. It makes me feel cold, especially on these hot days in summer, not so hot here at the end, but in the peak heat, this painting takes you to another place. The painting is "The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning". It was made in 1897. Beautiful. I did a lot of thinking when I was stationed in Germany. With no one really speaking any english around you, you get to know what it feels like not knowing how to read or write, but it takes it to a whole other level, you can't understand the language either. So I learned a whole lot about reading body language and non verbal communication. The bitty was I liked it that way. So I did what most guys do, a lot of staring and looking around. It's what we do best. One of the places I liked to drink it up was this small pub in the downtown of the town of Heilbron in Germany. The buildings in this painting remind me of that. More so when I was in Paris. The tiny windows, the foot traffic, the trees that lined most streets. Pissarro captures all that. Another interesting aspect is how void of color this painting is. And rightly so, thats what winter is all about. But impressionist were rebels and they were all about color, so Pissarro could be considered a rebel in a rebellious style of art cause he went with landscapes with no bright vivid colors. And it looks great.

Sorry for the lack of posting of late, I have been out of my usual pattern of life. The change has been good. After all variety is the spice of life...

Another prehistory note...

This here article illustrates a point I have believed for sometime. Humans have been around in the current form longer than previously thought. I know there are some Bible thumpers out there that will say the earth is 5000 years old, but that is their belief. I like to look at the facts. You know, stuff people left behind. My theory is many humans lived their life on the coast or near bodies of water for a couple of reasons: a source of water and gathering food was easier than hunting it on the plains. In this Swiss lake they found the remains of a building that was built roughly around 3863 BC. This building was built on pilings, out on the water. There is evidence to support the fact it was used to catch fish and then process the fish for storage. You know, smoke the fish. Still most people think humans from nearly 6000 years ago were dumb as rocks and didn't know crap. I think human society was incredibly complex back then. Come on, these guys knew how to build on the water, when and how to catch fish and process them. They knew how to store food for the winter. They were adept fishermen. This all points to some pretty damn fine intelligence. More intelligence than most people give them credit for. There is so much human history that has slipped by us.

We have no clue about our past.

Monday morning poem for your digestion.

Langston Hughes is one of America's greatest treasures. I love to read his stuff over and over again. His poetry is timeless. It's like he had vision beyond his lifetime. At others times, it feels like he was talking to me. And that is the mark of a great writer. So read this beauty, Democracy.

Democracy will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my two feet
And own the land.

I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.

Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.

I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.

Weather spots to watch...

Hey there weather fans, boy has it been busy. Sometimes I get to watchin the radar to much and forget to post about it. Above is Tropical Storm Ingird. She finally got her stuff together to be called a tropical storm. From what I am reading is there is enough wind sheer to make this storm pretty weak over the next 3 or 4 days, but if it survives after Tuesday it may make a break for hurricane status and get some. So we will keep a eye on it.
Here is what is left of Hurricane Humberto. What is freakin amazing about this hurricane is how it came out of nowhere to be a hurricane. It took less than 18 hours, something like 14 hours to form and roll. Droppin rain all over Texas and now LA. I know there are naysayers about global warming, but we have seen some flip shit crazy hurricane action in the past five years. For cat 5's there have been 27 since reliable records have been kept in 1944. We have had 8 in the past 5 years. Thats a spike. That is some serious property damage and loss of life. Plus some damn fine at 4's, remember Andrew? I was on the ground in south FL 12 hours after Andrew rolled over. Complete devastation. But what gets me is how fast these things are intensifying. Look at Felix this year, it was a tropical depression and 30 hours later one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded. I know you don't want to hear global warming, but what else can be the answer? There is nothing we can really do about it. Mother nature is gonna slap our asses all she can. She has no mercy. What kills me is no one wants to have this debate. No one wants to get ready for it. For the next 20 years, the gulf and east coast are gonna get pummeled. You better be ready for it. Don't kid yourself into thinking it aint gonna happen, cause it's already started. The proof is in the data folks. Weather should be unpredictable, when you start to see patterns emerge, that means something strange is afoot at the Circle K.

All you need to know about this day in history...

1960 OPEC was founded. And the screws started to turn no much longer after that. Of course some say they are our friends. Depends on who you ask really. I don't hear anyone givin shout outs to Venezuela.

Hey check out this little factoid,

Pittsburgh is the runaway leader, with 34 percent of the women living in the Steelers' market identifying themselves as fans. Green Bay was second with 29.4 percent, but no other market surveyed had even one-quarter of its women identify themselves as fans. Buffalo was third with 23.7 percent, followed by Cincinnati (22.8 percent), Kansas City (22.4 percent), Jacksonville (21.7 percent), Baltimore and Boston (21.5 percent) and Denver, Tampa-St. Petersburg and Washington, D.C. (20.9 percent).

What makes that so? I have no idea. Up until the rein of Big Ben, there weren't that many hotties in the Steelers playbook, but I'm a guy, what do I know. Maybe some women have the hots for Lambert or Bradshaw. I DO know it aint the new mascot. What is that all about? Maybe its the polka chants, or the bratwurst. Who knows? Girls just love the Steelers. Except my girl. She is a die hard Ravens fan. Which brings some tension to the house twice a year, or maybe 3 times a year. Man and how uncomfortable is it for the winner? And it really sucks if your team loses that last game of the year...cause next year is a long way away. And the winner can sit on that for a while. GO STEELERS!

Weather Spots to watch...

Alright here is the wide view of the Atlantic sat shot today. Take notice of that Tropical Storm Humberto down there over Texas and NOLA. If that thing was out in the water a little more, hurricane for real yo! And notice that tropical depression #8 out in the Atlantic. Stuff is startin to roll off the African continent now. Keep your eyes on the the weather.

Impressionism Art

I am a sucker for impressionism art. I can get down with most every kind of art out there, Calder's mobiles, Picasso, graffiti, or even a good deal of photography. But my love is centered on impressionism. It represents all that art means without having to scream it. Call it the quiet rebellion of art. See impressionist wanted to break out of the rigid mold of what defined art up until that point. As with any artist, the original impressionist were looking for a fresh, new way to express themselves. So I am going to start a little showcase of impressionism art and those artist that started the movement. Today I posted a favorite painting from Edouard Manet. This was painted near the end of his life, so it's not typical of what you expect from an impressionist. You know the great outdoors, great use of color, large landscapes. But this small still life shows a master of his craft. Manet doesn't get the hype of Monet, but dude rocks as good if not better than most. Enjoy!

The Golden Arm Yesterday, Johnny Cash today...

Yep, the man in black passed away today. You know the best memories I got of Johnny Cash songs weren't those growin up listening to him while mom played his stuff. It was this summer i worked at the beach in OC, MD washing dishes. I was fresh out of the army and didn't have anything on my mind except doing mindless work and trying to forget the last 3 years of service. I got a dishwashing shift in the morning at this hotel and had a bunch of Irish kids and a couple Scottish kids working with me. We got on very well together and the next thing I know, we are drinking it up after work at Coins or Pirate COve, but we would get flamed hard and someone would bust out "Ring of Fire" or "A boy named Sue" and we would get down on it. Arms locked, beer flyin, full on song. Man were those fun ass times. So those turned out to be my best Johnny Cash memories. I am going to leave you with the following: RIng of Fire from 1968. Thanks for the memories Johnny.

The Day in History...The Golden Arm passed away.

I am not old enough to have watched Johnny U play during his career, but I have watched hours and hours of film with the man. Talk about a sports icon. Hell he was way more than that. Dude was Baltimore. If you kid needed a ride home from school, or just throwin back some brews at the corner bar, Johnny Unitas was the man. Cool under pressure, a real leader of men, a man of sacrifice. When my wife and I go to Ravens games, it is paramount we pass the Johnny U statue and touch those black high tops. Johnny U, gone but never to be forgotten.

Hey what can I say, all you need to know about today is we were blessed with the birth of Harry Connick Jr. Thats right and no stinkin terrorist attack can take that from us. But sadly that is what most of us will remember. And why not. What a shocker that was. World Trade Center crumbling to the ground in scraps. You know why it was such a shock? Cause the only thing that we thought could do that was aliens from another planet. Still if I got to think about aliens and all that, I just throw in a copy of Harry's cd Star Turtle and get all glassy eyed with some good wine and the thoughts of aliens just flow my friend.

And now I will leave you with the brightest of stars that was born on this day, D H Lawrence. The man, the myth, the legend. If you read, and by reading I mean stories, poems, hell it can even be letters to friends, Lawrence was the man. I can make a damn good argument that he is probably the best all around writer ever. EVER. If you want to debate that, let it fly. Dude had legs and could write words that roll off your lips like a wet lovers kiss. Read the following poem called Silence...

Since I lost you I am silence-haunted,
Sounds wave their little wings
A moment, then in weariness settle
On the flood that soundless swings.

Whether the people in the street
Like pattering ripples go by,
Or whether the theatre sighs and sighs
With a loud, hoarse sigh:

Or the wind shakes a ravel of light
Over the dead-black river,
Or night’s last echoing
Makes the daybreak shiver:

I feel the silence waiting
To take them all up again
In its vast completeness, enfolding
The sound of men.

How good is that? hmmmmmmm? Make you think about those other events of the day at all? See DH saw another war upclose, WWI. That harsh reality changes a man. Changes how you see the world, changes your degrees of innocence.

Peace out amigos...enjoy the life given to you, for you know not when it could be over.

Cool weather post...

Just a look at whats going on in the Atlantic. NOAA and the internet is a deadly combination for the information junkie....

Witness to History...

Alright, its Sunday and I am running through the usual routine, except I got my football on. So I am ironing tomorrows wears when my wife comes in to get me to see something on tv. She didn't disappoint. It wasn't some killa football play from the Giants Cowboys game, but the opening of the MTV VMA's. And the opening act was Britney Spears. Boy o boy. That may go down in history as the musical act that couldn't. It was like she didn't even try. From a career perspective, that may have been the nail in the coffin...alright looking around the world for some historical perspective? Way back in 1897 George Smith was arrested in Britain for drunk driving. He was the first person to be arrested for drunk driving. After 110 years, I can honestly say the problem has gotten worse...but back in 93 on this day, The X-files opened for business and we began the search for truth, but also we began to trust no one. Still as far as scifi goes, X-files was and still is freakin brilliant. Reruns come on TNT at like 5 am and sometimes I will wake up and lie there in bed trying to get my shit together...and there it is in the background. That shit grabs me. The other day it was the episode about the FBI trying to control people with cable tv. That shit screwed me up for a week. And I still trust no one...for your sport nugget, Mickey Mantle crushes a 643' home run over the right field roof in Detroit. No steroids, no HGH, just some big ups. Dude people get all giddy when some one hits it 475' in this day. Man a 475' homer would get you the top play of the day on Sportscenter. 643'? ssssssst please....I could talk about how The Beatles album Revolver hit #1 and stayed there for six weeks, but who cares when on this day in 66 Neil Diamond released Cherry Cherry? Check out all that crazy collage action. Ok you can stare at it another minute, then you have to get your ass back to work. Looking at that is worse than looking at a dollar bill and trying to find that damn spider everyone keeps talking about. Or is that on the twenty? Hold on, maybe its on Paul's face. Crap here we go again....and so you get your weather history in perspective, Hurricane Gilbert kills 300 in Jamaica back in 88 on this day. We are in the peak of hurricane season. Were you watching that tropical storm Gabby down off the Carolinas this weekend? Probably not. You better get it in gear jack. Grab batteries and a radio, some water, cans of beans, learn how to cook for 4 on a single burner camp stove or you to will become a statistic...Today we got the fans man. Born on this day was Arnold Palmer. Happy 77th Arnie. You are the man...and for your balance we lost Burgess Meredith back in 97. Dude was a classic actor. Ever see Grumpier Old Men? The second movie in that line? Holy crap you have not seen it? You need to see it. Take special care to watch the out-takes at the end. So funny. Plus he was Rocky's trainer. What more do you want from the guy?...and give it up for Canada cause on this day back in 39 they declared war on Germany. See thats what I like about those damn canucks, they have no problem joining a good fight. They jumped in WWI before we did, and they started feeding the germans lead way before we did in WWII. And everyone wants to act like they are a bunch of maple leaf lovin peaceful wannabe Americans up there when thats sooooo far from the truth. Those guys and gals are some tough bastards. Long cold winters, big ass bears, and you ever encounter a wolverine?
Those things are like the worst raccoon you ever met on steroids. Lets just call them mini-bears. Hey if your ever flyfishing and a wolverine wants the stream, let him have it. Aint no use arguing with them cause those damn things are fast. Plus they have no qualms about kickin your ass.

Weather spots to watch...updated Saturday morn...

The last post before the weekend...this is 99L and it looks like its starting to form into a tropical something or the other. Keep an eye on it because there is a chance it will effect us by Sunday or Monday. Worst case a cat 3 slams into the Carolinas and makes its way here and reaches us a cat 1 or tropical storm. Best case scenario, we get a bunch of rain from the jumbled remnants of 99L. Keep and eye on it. See you cats on Monday...

Update: 99L is now Subtropical Storm GABRIELLE. So now you know who your looking for! It would have become a tropical storm, but it couldn't figure out how to organize itself and ended up with two centers, not one and thats why it is a subtropical storm.

Seeker of Truth by e e cummings

seeker of truth

follow no path
all paths lead where

truth is here

I never thought Cummings got his due as a poet. I know that sounds ridiculous to those of us who actually read poetry, but it is the truth. The average person knows Poe or Shakespeare, but what of the greatness in between.

Seeker of truth, follow no path. How true is that? Paths are laid by people to lead you where they want you to go. I never feel as free as I am when running in the woods. Just wondering, looking at what I may come across. But then what is truth? When did the definition of truth become so skewered? So hallow? All paths lead where? Not a place I care to be, most assuredly. I hate being bound to other people's agendas. It's hard not offending someone these days, but people need to revisit the definition of acquaintances and friends. I can count my friends on one hand, I have many people in my life that I consider acquaintances. They are not the same class of people. Friends help you move, acquaintances will invite you to a birthday party or a house warming party so they can get a gift out of you. See when you understand the truth about life, you can see that.

Today in History...

Alright, today in history we lost a phenomenon. Straight up. Tupac Shakur is shot several times in Las Vegas, Nevada, after attending a boxing match. Shakur was riding in a black BMW with Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight when a white Cadillac sedan pulled alongside and fired into Shakur's car. Knight was only grazed in the head, but Shakur was hit several times. He died in a hospital several days later. That's how the academic world of history will remember those events. Most of white bread America is glad he's gone. They were scared of the fact that their spoiled suburbanite brats were listening to Tupac. Oh the agony! Ain't that a kick in the pants? But look at the facts 11 years later. Tupac still is a force in rap, millions think the man is still alive, his lyrics and poetry are the subjects of college classes, and his legend still grows. I could write 20 pages on why he was important, but that aint gonna bring him back. God bless ya. You can bet your ass I will drink a 40 and listen to "How long will they mourn me" a couple of times tonight. But hey it aint all doom and gloom on this day, Buddy Holy was born on this day, so there is your balance...

In other places in history, WWII was warming up. The Nazi's bombed London for the first time today back in 1940. This would eventually play out in the Battle for Britain in the skies over the UK. One of the turning points of the war cause if the Brits would have gotten rolled, Europe might still be talking schnitzel and wondering where it all went wrong...

Man I gotta point out that today in 01, Training Day was release. That movie kicked some ass, got Denzel an Oscar, and made Antoine Fuqua the man. If you haven't seen it, go rent it. You will not be disappointed, especially if you like the cops and robbers stuff...

Ahhh and for all us sports freaks out there, today is when it all began. ESPN starts broadcasting today back in 1979. da da dun da da dun......

Alright peace out and enjoy that weekend people...

Weather spots to watch...

Okay, Felix has died with some grace and it didn't do as much damage as it could have. At last count 39 died, most of them from Honduras. The sat image shows the Felix remnants. The thing I want to point out is the band of clouds hanging out off the Carolina coast, known as 99L, they haven't formed into a tropical anything yet because there has been some decent wind sheer on them for the last couple days, but the wind sheer is going to drop tomorrow and there is a good possibility that 99L could slowly form into a tropical depression over the next few days. Watch it. Really watch it. It is close to home and could be on us fast. Get you supplies together. Water, batteries, food for three days. Gas in the car. Do it.

Summer Haiku

temperature comforts
animals harvest food stuff
savings for cold days

This Day in History....

Today was when Little Willie rolled of the production line to kick of the next phase on the battlefield, tank warfare. No need to say the original isn't still the best. This joker was the first step, now we got the M1 Abrams that can roll 60 mph and shoot her 105 mike mike on the run with killa accuracy. Hurah for modern technology. That wasn't the real highlight of The Great War tho- today was when the first battle of the Marne bogged down and made WWI the stagnant death trap it was on the western front. Just be happy your ass didn't have to fight in that war. Bloody hell of a mess....now it's time to give it up for President McKinley, who was shot on this day. He died a week later. What gets me is he told his Secret Service boys to go easy on his assassin, Leon Czolgosz, a laborer from Cleveland who fell under the sway of charismatic leaders of anarchy such as Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman, and Gaetano Bresci. WTF? Dude he shot you, your boys should have pummeled his ass with bags of rocks. Freakin anarchists always wantin to cause chaos....unfortunately more lives were taken at the 72 Olympics today also. See terrorism has been around for decades and we didn't give two shits about it cause it didn't happen here. So much for that. Eventually crazy people with bombs and guns will get everyones attention.

Okay, how would you like to be the wife of Ralph Waldo Emerson and have his buddy Henry David Thoreau move in with you? Well that's what happened on this day back in 1847. That makes for some interesting dinner conversation. I bet none of it was soup questions either....

And I bet no one saw this coming, today was the last time Jimi laid licks to his upside down left handed guitar. Freakin genius. But the Germans got to see that performance out in Fehmarn, Germany. Hey that's not all with those arrogant bastards...in '49 the Allied Coalition gave them Volkswagon back. WTF? Didn't you guys see all that money coming or what. I blame the British. Hell yeah the British. Uptight bastards. Hey, I can prove the British have no sense...in 1996 there number one hit was "wannabe" by the Spicegirls. Why they turned those hell spawns loose on us is no mystery, misery loves company after all. Hell we aint much better cause our asses were listening to the "Macarena" at the time, shit we weren't just listenin' to that shit, we were livin it. Some of us still are. GIVE IT UP PEOPLE, that shit was like a decade ago! Shit you think that was fucked up, we got Foxy Brown on this day, but we lost Ernest Tubb. That shit aint fair y'all. I loves me some Ernest Tubb tunes. It's all good tho- Roger Waters was born today too. And that kinda makes up for Foxy Brown. Right?

Last of all, or least of all, how ever you want it, our man W said this 5 days before 911, "The only time to use Social Security money is in times of war, times of recession, or times of severe emergency." Some trifecta huh? All right peace out yall.

I'm nobody! Who are you? by ED, gotta lover her.

'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you -- Nobody -- Too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise -- you know!

How dreary -- to be -- Somebody!
How public -- like a Frog --
To tell one's name -- the livelong June --
To an admiring Bog!


-Just a little ED (not erectile dysfunction) for your today.

Where?

Where do we get the ideas that make us so? Is that so important? The written word, maybe a film, or a song, are those the ideas that we defend? How did we get to that point? As we move steady ahead in to this grand future of ours, we find that our voices are small, weak, and sometimes meaningless. Our ideas, our values come not from ourselves anymore, but are imports if you will. They are ideas passed down like a family car or an older siblings clothes. When did we stop making our own ideas?

Look ahead. Take a peek. What do you see? More of the same, probably. Another battle of ideology, another point defended for the home team. Can the concepts that define a team really apply to our lives? Will you have that persons back? To quote a famous radio personality, you are who you roll with. Are we supposed to feel good about the battles we win? Should we? I don't anymore. I got no love for these fuckers, there's no need to be friends.

Can that work? Can that work under pressure? The demands of your life dictate the battles you fight. These fights, these battles, rarely picked or determined by your own actions involve you none the less. What are you fighting for? Honor? Dignity? Truth? Justice? Love? Everything listed are admirable concepts to defend or build your concepts of right and wrong, black and white, actions and hesitations on. Very admirable indeed. People will hold you up as an example of what it means to be right, correct, or any other words you want to drop in along those lines. Do you believe it? Is it enough to feel like that?

Where...where does it leave us? Where do we go? Can these questions ever be answered? The journey of 1000 miles begins with just one step. I am weak. I never thought I could make the journey, but I continue to make a step everyday. There is life and there is living, both are not the same. I tossed my life to the wayside long ago. Living for the others in my life is so much easier. I never got the emotions, the love I get now from living for the others in my life. I write this for me and those who find it interesting to read. That is how it shall remain for sometime.